VSCO, the ever changing idea that has literally changed the way photographers and other creatives across the world edit their photo or videos. I came across the app a while ago now, most of us were using photoshop and ligtroom without the thought of "presets" or in simple language "replicate what film does". Presets have taken the scene by storm, everyones creating their unique approach, everyones copying the man or women before.

VSCO, are in my eyes the pioneers and responsible for bringing a healthy/smart/creative approach to this movement

I had the pleasure of meeting the team behind it all, while visitng San Francisco during my honeymoon - we drove a few minutes across to Oakland where VSCO HQ is based - what an amazing experience, what an amazing team. The future is bright!

Recently, i was lucky enough to have my work featured. A personal piece on my drone photography and why/how it has changed our view on our planet!

The last was seen around 1866 - and the next, well im not too sure. If you missed last nights/yesterdays phenomena well you did miss out on something that many of us will never get to experience again. Why are these events important? why are these events a "must see". We only get to experience these emotions during a limited amount of time. Spend the extra hour outside, look up and imagine what is beyond our beliefes - dont hold back, dont be another generic replica of what humanity has become. Enjoy the sites while we can - Shot on the Canon 1DX MKII + 200-400mm f4

Have you played Grand Theft Auto? have you walked around and noticed a random Pier, crazy amount of people and an amazing looking beach? well yep that's Santa Monica/Venice Beach and it is exactly as it looks..Well you just can't drive that car along the beach!

Either of these two locations are a photographers dream, if I had enough time I could have focused on a few portraits - the characters alongside the beach, the streets and in town. Otherwise any sunset or sunrise, winter or summer is a eyesight never to forget.

Id advise you to not bring any large camera equipment and just enjoy every second of it, try some film - my 35mm got lost during airport trips!! if only I had that

Go an enjoy the local BBALL on display, grab a large pizza and take some time away - because Yosemite is 10hours away, Palm Springs is 4hours away and of course Disneyland is only 45mins away! enjoy the time off and watch the sky go from pink and blue

SANTA MONICA/VENICE

Where did we stay? Little AIRBNB down the road, only about 10-20min drive from Santa Monica Pier. Spent most of the time around LA, for those seeking the typical GTA5 experience? well Santa Monica and Venice is basically the main part of that

Did you ride a bike? Hell yeah! go do that shit - enjoy every second of it - unless you go in Winter and you wear crocs...dont wear Crocs!!!

Did you take your drone? Dont make me sad! if only I could take a Phantom 4 Pro on the flight, if it fit - yes! I would have but no, sadly I did not. However Santa Monica and Venice Beach are no fly zone as there are about 2 Airports and a few Helipads near by (being only minutes away from LAX and of course Hollywood) few other tourists and locals did fly the drone, and we did watch local police hunt down for the Mavic Pro that flew past. So if you do take your drone! be smart, grab the shot and runnnnnnnn forest run!!!

What did we eat? Some of the finest pasta I have ever had! but defiantly some cheap as Burritos near by

Crowd Control? if youre not a fan of busy locations, avoid Venice Beach - and I mean avoid. A total safe area, and of course as any local will say. LA is sketchy AF! Venice Beach can get a little touchy, had a random guy yell in my face for walking...as you do sir!

Best View? Sunset or sunrise near the Santa Monica Pier! watch as Malibu and the surrounding mountain ranges turn pink as the sun rises or sets! or sunset while watching the skaters in Venice Beach

Morning or Night? If you want the pink sky? defintely the afternoon, if you want the non busy beaches go in the morning but watch out for the homeless as they do take refuge on the sand at night. Within 2-5hours the entire beach is covered in tourists! seek alternative route

The home of Ansel Adams, how could I do justice to this place. We all have seen the famous Tunnel View image, the one and only Mac image Most of us (well me) used to pronounce it "Yosh-Em-Ite" or whatever that character from Tekken was...We depart San Francisco early that morning, arriving just after lunch. Not a short trip but a decent 3+ hours can get you restless. Arriving in a spot/sacred land such as the Yosemite National Park, well you begin to forget a lot of problems you have. You forget that you are still on Earth. This place was not only amazing but busy - so make sure you plan your visit. Being on our Honeymoon I was hoping to stay a night, but didn't want to risk our gear being stolen only 1 week into our holiday; that would've been a story. If you are visiting Yosemite anytime soon, camp or even stay a night in your car/but keep warm or cool depending on the season you arrive. I regret missing out on spending a full day - we got to enjoy the views, weather and sights for a good 6hours. Departing around Sunset and getting back to San Francisco just after midnight...well we had a quick pit stop for some Mac and Chees - I do miss walking around and taking it all in, waterfalls in each and every corner - coming face to face with deer!

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

Where did we stay? As mentioned above we only did a day visit, if we had stayed - there are many Motels and Hotels before you arrive into the valley. The next time I visit YNP, definitely will be camping

What did we eat? Picnic supplies for days! it all depends on your trip, but there is a canteen on campus - we were there during Autumn so it was operating at the time.

How's Parking? its simple, just keep it smart and get there early or late - dont try your luck as youll definetley spend a little to long searching for a good spot

Best View? Has to be from the top of Glacier Point! make sure you catch sunset - less busier then the iconic Tunnel View which is probably the typical tourist view point as many want to avoid the 45min drive up - get there early or always, go visit during off peak. Autumn and Winter are the best

Was it a safe drive? Everyone is a different drive! just make sure to get the right amount of sleep and keep an eye out for the signs! we almost ended up in Los Angeles. it is a lonely drive....

Ola amigo, welcome to the USA Flashback blog posts - ill try my best and get these up every few weeks, the best of the best of our honeymoon - my first time experiencing "America" or "U.S.A" as we often hear. We kick it all off in SFO, the city I most looked forward to - the wife was keen, but I just wanted to cry

Being of Melbourne origin, I have always felt a little connection to San Francisco - it's no secret that the Golden Gate plays a big part in a lot of pop culture, a true icon for the USA. I honestly wanted to lay on the bridge, close my eyes and just smile...I kind of did that.. Not sure why!

Traveling is a luxury, I wish we all could travel more often and experience life in many ways. Coming face to face with decisions in unknown territories. We are a lucky generation that see travel as an inspiration to allow us to push and gain knowledge in our every day lives.

Heading to the USA the day after our wedding was something we both agreed on - our first time in the states, alone and together. I was excited to finally visit, to finally come so close to a country that we hear about almost every day from music to movies, tv series to books - a ficitional location that at times is almost a dream.

I'll try and break it all up into parts to allow you to read through the best bits, the worst bits and maybe the cringe moments that the wife will probably tell me to delete... in the end, I never did well in English classes so please don't hesitate to correct my grammar or nonsense :)

SAN FRANCISCO!

Where did we stay? I found a cute little AIRBNB nearby Twin Peaks, never have I driven on the other side of the road but after a few minutes and plenty of angry locals honking their horns - I got used to it, and boy do I miss driving on the left-hand side. You could easily walk up to Christmas Tree Point / Twin Peaks (best view in town) and actually, see the sunrise over the bay

What did you eat? Few of our favourite places had to be the following // Tacolicious, Regazza & The Mill

Where did we hang out? Divisadero St by far our favourite location at night for food, culture and atmosphere - seconds away from the Painted Ladies if you head along early or at lunch.

How long do I need in SFO? more than a week for sure, not only is there a lot to do within the city - but a lot surrounding, only a few hours away you can find yourself at Point Reyes / Big Sur / Yosemite / San Jose / Oakland and heaps more. But the inner suburban region is a thrill, I could not get enough of the Golden Gate Bridge - no matter what angle, no matter what time of the day. I had to see it, I had to be there.

What gear did you have on you? Alongside me was the wife, and alongside us was our trust Canon 1Dx MKII - now pre wedding, when I was planning our Honeymoon I had stocked up on film and was hoping to take on the US on our first visit with a no nonsense / more relaxed approach - But I just could not no to bringing the beast with us and we did. Now its not your best option for street photography, but it is great for everything below (check gallery) I did bring the Rolleiflex, Polaroid and our iPhones which in fact I did use alot of and edit with VSCO (M5 suits the inner city of SFO...try it)

As mentioned in previous blog posts and instagram posts, i really would like to bring a vlog and youtube channel to my efforts - Im hoping to inspire more and help motivate you all to get out and be creating new work.

What would you like to me to talk more about? got any tips! send me a message :)

till next time - adios

Shout out to my amazing wife for being awesome and allowing me to cry on the Golden Gate Bridge more than once!

Who doesn't like a Thursday road trip, better off - a road trip down to the Mornington Peninsula, catching by far one of the best sunrises in 2018 - for it only to hide behind the cloud coverage heading in towards Victoria that became the afternoon thunderstorm.

With their wedding coming up mid 2018, I got to witness the excitement and love these two have for each other - the evident adventure within their souls and the thrill to explore this world we live in

Morning sunrise session down at Bells Beach, zero traffic in sight and zero coffee in our hands. Not sure why we forgot coffees but it happened and Ill never make that mistake again!

A rather chilly morning during what has been a tough warm month in November, within an hour of standing above the beach by the viewpoint a cold front had arrived - a small storm had hit, causing rain and my drone to crash land...typical

Ever since I had a quick flight up on the Sunshine Coast earlier this year, I have been seeking a surf spot along the Victorian coast with the same shade of blue.

With the sun hiding behind the dark clouds, all potential of tones and shadows had vanished within seconds. Planning your trips and ideas can instantly become a crush/fail when mother nature decides its not her day!

I must say the P4P handles wind pretty good, till next time Bells Beach

Living in the digital generation, we have forgotten so much about what was and what would have been. As a creative individual, i constantly seek new inspiration and avenues to send my artist mind on. Film and photography have always been an interest, an expensive one of sort.

Mix all of that and at times calling yourself a "collector" - you find yourself in situations where you wish you had this, that and all the other things on your mind. One of these things for me has always been the Rollei or Rolleiflex

A total differenet approach to your modern day photography, a mid hip or how ever you feel comfortable point of view - the Rollei has been a goal for me, and now tom finally have one in my arsenal is a dream

Ill be heading out to NYC in October for my honeymoon, hopefully the streets of New York will oepn up to me

How did I find it? Thankfully Gumtree has always been my go to; I've looked everywhere in the past. From op shops in country towns, hoping someone had no idea what gold they had hiding in their house or even Garage Sales and Markets. It's always been super easy, and they recently celebrated 10 years in Australia so have added a bunch of features including a slick new design, 24/7 live chat support, and if you hate carrying around big loads of cash, there’s now an option to pay directly through the platform when picking up your item via peer-to-peer payments with PayPal.

I have over 50 film, digital and toy cameras - an obsession of no other. I love what I do, but I love what we can create. And the Rollei will open an entire new world for me and my artist life.

Thanfully a gentlemen in Adelaide, Australia had listed it. I messaged and we arranged a sale - I was excited. I thought "maybe itll be here by the end of the month" it actually arrived the very next afternoon...

I am currently working on a series of portraits, mixture of sport and street photography. Im so used to the digital way of things, its good to take a step back and actually feelt he camera click. Know that you may only have 1 last shot on the roll or slide. Thats the thrill of photography, the art of knowing what is good and what is just another moment not needed